UN General Assembly has ‘right to act’ on critical issues
▶ UN General Assembly president Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces tells of need for unity to beat biggest problems
The president of the UN General Assembly says the UN body has the right to act when the Security Council is deadlocked.
Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces pointed to the Assembly’s rejection in December last year of President Donald Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The assembly voted by a huge majority to reject Mr Trump’s unilateral recognition of a new Israeli capital, declaring his move “null and void”.
“Peace in the Middle East has been part of the UN agenda for a long time now,” Ms Espinosa told in an interview in New York.
“Regarding Palestine, after the decision of certain member states to change the place where they have their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, we saw that the General Assembly can indeed act.”
At a time when international politics is scarred by division and rancour, the debate over the reform of UN institutions has been revived. This includes the two-tier structure of the Security Council, which has been paralysed on important issues, including Syria.
Ms Espinosa, an expert and writer on Amazonian river cultures, said the 73rd assembly session had underlined the collective global consensus that a unified front was needed to tackle the world’s gravest problems.
The former Ecuadorian foreign minister said the stage was set for strengthening multilateral co-operation, adopting a global compact on migration and protecting the Middle East peace process, issues she wants the General Assembly to tackle.
The 73rd session of the UN General Assembly set the stage for strengthening multilateral co-operation, adopting a global agreement on migration, and protecting the Middle East peace process, its new president, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, told The National.
In an exclusive interview from New York, the Ecuadorian diplomat said the opening week of high-level speakers underlined a global consensus that united action was the only way to tackle the world’s gravest problems.
“I was very pleased by the unanimity about the need to strengthen multilateralism and the usefulness of this house to address global issues,” Ms Espinosa said.
“Of course it’s very crowded and intense at this time but there is a very strong message that the UN is unique. This is going to be a very busy year.”
One landmark on the horizon is the signing of the Global Compact on Migration, scheduled for Marrakesh in December. The key role for the General Assembly is to ensure that there is rapid implementation of the accord’s principles in its first year. The need is urgent, with 260 million migrants worldwide and 25 million refugees displaced by conflict.
The 2020 review of progress for the Sustainable Development Goals looms for the UN. Ms Espinosa said the process was in large part the focus for 450 side events during the opening week of the UN meeting, which ended on September 30.
“More and more countries are coming voluntarily forward with their national report,” she said. “To guide the Sustainable Development Goals we see most states developing frameworks at the national level. This is very powerful.”
Ms Espinosa said that the General Assembly mandates would help to deliver reforms that allowed countries to gain the technical assistance they needed to deliver on the goals.
An expert and writer on Amazonian river cultures, she has served as Ecuador’s foreign minister and its permanent representative to the UN. That perspective informs her drive to bolster access to the workplace and equality of treatment for women and the disabled.
“I have one priority for each day of the week,” Ms Espinosa said. “The right to decent work is very important.”
The centenary of the International Labour Organisation next year creates an opportunity to stress the need for “equal pay for an equal job” for women, and the case for access to “decent jobs, especially for persons with disabilities”.
At a time when international politics is scarred by division and rancour, it is inevitable that the debate over the reform of UN institutions has been revived. This includes the two-tier structure of the Security Council, which has been paralysed on issues, such as Syria.
Ms Espinosa said that the General Assembly had the right to act when the Security Council is deadlocked. She pointed to intervention in the past session after the US announced it was shifting its embassy to Jerusalem in defiance of long-standing resolutions.
“On the one hand, it is a big challenge to ensure there is proper co-ordination with all the main organs of the UN to avoid overlap and advance the multilateral agenda,” she said.
“Peace in the Middle East has been part of the UN agenda for a long time. Regarding Palestine, after the decision of certain member states to change the place where they have their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, we saw that the General Assembly can indeed act.”
After the failure of the Paris Accord on climate, there is a sense that countries must regroup quickly and Ms Espinosa would like the assembly to act as the engine for that.
“After all, there is no other way to tackle climate change but through multilateralism,” she said.
The same could be said for the health problems that are often overshadowed by high-profile eradication campaigns. An event on non-communicable diseases presented a chance for action in the year to come.
“Cancer doesn’t stop at borders,” Ms Espinosa said.
The threat of religious extremism puts an emphasis on the youth when addressing peace and security, she said. Violent extremism can only be eliminated by addressing opportunities and getting rid of barriers to political participation, she said.